Which Samsung Water Filter Fits My Refrigerator?

Start with the refrigerator, not the old cartridge

An old filter can provide a useful cross-check, but it is not the safest starting point. A previous owner may have installed the wrong cartridge, a marketplace title may combine several identifiers, and two filters can look similar in a small photo. The refrigerator’s model label identifies the appliance Samsung actually built.

Copy the complete model and suffix exactly. RF28R7351SG/AA, for example, is more useful than “Samsung RF28.” Home Memory’s Samsung refrigerator model-number guide explains how to locate and record that label. Do not infer fit from capacity, door count, purchase year, dispenser position, or a partial family name.

Next, compare the complete code with Samsung’s current product information or the model’s official support material. Home Memory’s Samsung refrigerator library provides source-checked paths for the models it covers, but it is not a claim that every Samsung refrigerator uses one of these two filters.

The two verified filter paths in this library

HAF-QIN/EXP is the verified path for five models currently stored in Home Memory’s dataset: RF28R7351SG/AA, RF27T5201SR/AA, RF22A4221SR/AA, RF28T5101SR/AA, and RF28T5021SR/AA. This group includes different water arrangements—an AutoFill pitcher, internal dispensing, and exterior dispensing—so the visible water feature alone cannot establish fit.

HAF-CIN/EXP is the verified path for RF23J9011SR/AA, RF26J7500SR/AA, RF28K9070SR/AA, RF25HMEDBSR/AA, RF263BEAESR/AA, RF220NCTASR/AA, RF23HCEDBSR/AA, RF28HFEDBSR/AA, RF28HMEDBSR/AA, and RS25J500DSR/AA. Samsung’s page also identifies HAF-CIN/EXP as replacement cartridge DA29-00020B.

These are bounded, verified lists from the site data—not a universal chart. If your exact model is absent, that absence does not prove which filter fits. Check Samsung’s documentation for that model rather than selecting the closest-looking code.

Why dispenser style is not a compatibility test

The verified HAF-QIN set illustrates the problem clearly. RF28T5101SR/AA has an internal filtered-water dispenser, RF28T5021SR/AA uses a filtered AutoFill pitcher, and RF27T5201SR/AA has an external water-and-ice dispenser. One cartridge family supports all three verified paths.

The HAF-CIN group is just as varied. It includes French-door, four-door Flex, and side-by-side configurations. RF220NCTASR/AA has a filtered automatic ice maker without an exterior dispenser, while several other models dispense water and ice through a door. Shape, layout, and the presence of a paddle are clues for identifying an appliance, not substitutes for a model lookup.

Even similar model names can split into different paths. The dataset notes that RF28K9070 belongs to the HAF-CIN path, while later RF28R and RF28T examples in the library use HAF-QIN. That is why “filter for Samsung RF28” is not a sufficiently precise shopping instruction.

Packaging language is another reason to slow down. /EXP belongs to the published filter name, while /AA appears in the complete refrigerator models stored here. They describe different things and should not be silently dropped or exchanged during a lookup. Keep a photograph of the appliance label beside the product page, compare each identifier once more, and preserve the confirmation with your maintenance record. That small audit trail makes the next replacement easier and prevents a remembered family name from becoming an unsupported compatibility claim.

A five-minute fit check before ordering

1. Photograph the refrigerator label so a missing letter or suffix cannot creep into your search.

2. Write down the complete model number, not the serial number or marketing name.

3. Open Samsung’s support or accessory information and match the full model to the stated cartridge family.

4. Cross-check the filter name: HAF-QIN/EXP, or HAF-CIN/EXP and its DA29-00020B identifier.

5. Confirm the shopping card repeats the correct family and verified ASIN before following the retailer link.

If any step conflicts, stop. Do not force a cartridge, trim a tab, reuse a seal from another filter, or assume that a close model prefix is good enough. Return to the appliance label and exact manual.

When the filter is due

Samsung’s existing HAF-CIN page gives six months as the normal service interval and a 300-gallon rating. Across Home Memory’s model records, six months is consistently treated as a baseline rather than a promise. Heavy dispensing or ice production, reduced flow, a change in taste, and the refrigerator’s filter indication can justify attention sooner.

The correct interval never cures an incorrect fit. First establish compatibility; then use the replacement-timing guide to plan maintenance. Record the installation date somewhere visible, particularly on models whose filter or water feature is out of sight.

After the correct filter arrives

Follow the exact refrigerator manual. Samsung’s general current instructions for HAF-QIN and HAF-CIN begin by shutting off the water supply, then unlocking the old cartridge and locking in the verified replacement. Restore water, inspect the housing for leaks, flush as directed, discard early ice when instructed, and reset the filter indicator using the model procedure.

Do not treat a reset light as compatibility evidence. The indicator tracks maintenance; it does not read the printed family on a cartridge. The Samsung filter-change guide covers the shared workflow while keeping model instructions authoritative.

Final Verdict

Your refrigerator model—not size, age, dispenser style, or the old cartridge’s silhouette—decides the filter. Copy the complete label, verify it with Samsung, and follow only the matching HAF-QIN/EXP or HAF-CIN/EXP path. If the model is not explicitly supported, pause the purchase rather than making a near-match.

Official Samsung Sources

• [Samsung HAF-QIN/EXP product and compatibility information](https://www.samsung.com/ca/home-appliance-accessories/haf-qinexp-haf-qin-exp//)
• [Samsung HAF-CIN/EXP product and compatibility information](https://www.samsung.com/us/home-appliances/home-appliances-accessories/refrigerators/haf-cin-refrigerator-water-filter-haf-cin-exp/)